Yard Work

The current top priority in getting the layout into a fit state to show at Woking in a few weeks time is to get the fiddle yards built.

Up until now the layout has only been run with temporary ones at the 'head of steel' but the time has come to construct the proper ones which will be positioned at the back.

The first photo shows the basic frame for the lower bottom end. The other end will be a bit taller because the line has climbed all the way around - as the real one does.

There are a few of changes from the scenic board design.

There are no L girders and they are only 2ft wide instead of 2ft 6 mean it will be less far of operators to reach to handle stock and, in theory, less opportunity to knock them off the track or damage stuff in other ways.

They are  open plan underneath and quite thin so as to save weight and be easier to store and to get to the point motors and other ancillaries.

The section which juts out at the right hand side is where we intend to mount the control panel.

There will be a couple of cross pieces to put in when we have worked out where the point motors are going.

In total there will be three boards and the  middle board will be the last to get built.

It will be a split level arrangement and in future there is a possibility there might be one track at the back that runs on a gentle slope for continues running.